"When in Rome" Restaurant Review @ Al Gladiatore, Roma, Italia

When in Rome...you've got to try the food!! After the Colosseum, we went walking around looking for something to eat. We wanted "real Italian food" for a "real American price". We'd been advised not to go to the restaurants so close to any tourist attraction because everything on the menu would be over priced. So we began our search for a great restaurant. As we were walking a waitress stopped us and immediately started pointing out all their pizzas and pastas on their menu. Maybe it was the hunger, or the good ol' tourist spirit but we grabbed a table..right behind the Colosseum. (how much closer could we get!?)

We were seated at the table, and thankfully for us, their menu was in English! Oh Glory! I came to Rome expecting to understand most things because I'd taken Spanish since the 6th grade, but NOTHING made any sense. So of course after seeing the English menu I was sold. One thing I noticed about Italian cuisine is that they don't mix their meats with their pastas. For example, there's no such thing as "chicken/shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo". Its either Chicken Breast with Salad, or a bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo. For those of you who don't know, I am a lover of pasta. So you can imagine my heartbreak when I was told I couldn't have chicken in my pasta! I settled with just the Fettuccine.

Another observation was that they gave olive oil with the bread. You're supposed to dip the bread in the oil and enjoy but I passed on the opportunity. I guess it was the Brooklyn in me that couldn't get over the fact that this is the same bread from the corner store. Bread and oil didn't sound too appealing.